Wyclef Jean - Masquerade

Wyclef Jean's third solo offering finds him still trying his darndest to prove to hip-hoppers and pop audiences alike just how eclectic he can be. And no one knows exactly why. After all, eclecticism does not necessarily translate to quality; Jean's disturbingly mediocre collaboration with Tom Jones on an updated version of "What's New, Pussycat?" is a prime example of how an intriguing idea can go awry. Likewise, his reinterpretations of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and the Four Seasons hit "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" demonstrate just how spiritless this truly gifted emcee/producer can sound. Sure, Masquerade boasts Wyclef's broad coverage of black music, flipping styles from reggae to R&B in a heartbeat. The R&B flavored "Two Wrongs," featuring Claudette Ortiz of City High, and the touching ode to his recently deceased father, "Daddy," sound grand. But in the end, Jean's attempt to masquerade as a hardcore rap artist on the "PJs"--a tired ode to low-income housing dwellers--reveals that he's been on cruise control since The Score. And it's a real shame. --Dalton Higgins Amazon.com

WYCLEF IS THE MAN

I came across Wyclef at a time when I was very interested in Haitian culture and he blew my mind, Ecleftic was the first album I got and after that I bought everything he had, even the one in creole. This man is a genius, I used to listen to this one and Preacher's Son over and over again until I learned the lyrics by heart. I miss him when he came to Boston but I still check once in a while to see if he has any new material or if he is coming close by to go see him. I enjoy his work, he is THE MAN. August 16, 2007

Wyclef IS NOT a hypocrite

Keep it GANGSTA? Listen, Wyclef puts it out there straight- "Artists" who make and flash huge amounts of money touting hate,material bling,ignorance, violence and misogyny are (at best)seriously ill, at worst culpable for the self-inflicted genocide of (mostly) black youth on the street. I don't, nor will I EVER AGREE with censorship, but "artists" who put this stuff out for mass consumption should be starved into non-existance. Stop buying HATE.Choke off financial support for record labels that make blood money off dead kids and abused women. Wyclef IS A POSITIVE MESSAGE. This man CARES about the kids who have their lives destroyed and taken from them by Crack pimps and people who PRETEND to be heavy Gangstaz. Look- you want change? Work for peace- Through Music, by respecting woman and cherishing the kids. WYCLEF gave MONEY to the NYC reading programs. TAKE NOTE! Karma exists. WYCLEF and anyone who works for justice and the preservation of Life should be a hero to youth, not slammed by big print reviewers who are disappointed that Wyclef isn't spewing out HATE for mass consumption. And this ALL from a cozy air conditioned apartment in the Suburbs somewhere. You are disapointed why? Because you were less entertained? It's called SPIRIT and SOUL. Either you get this equation or you're just pimping WORDS instead of dope.Dig This- NO JUSTICE..NO PEACE.
Love and Tenacity in the face of Evil WILL conquer..but not before we lose too many,too soon. You GO brother. We're listening. Is Washington? October 11, 2006

His best album next to The Ecleftic

Standout tracks: PJs, 80 BARS(80 scars), MASQUERADE, YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA, PARTY LIKE I PARTY, PUSSYCAT(Hilarious how he got away with that), THUG LIKE ME, THE MIX SHOW, PEACE GOD, MVP KOMPA, GHETTO RACINE and AFRICA. Note: the last song was a circuit city exclusive on my copy. Filler: Oh What A Night is so corny its painful but thats it. Bottom Line: Wyclef kept the good album streak going with Masquerade his most consistent work. Upon hearing this album I found out two things: Wyclef is an underrated emcee and an even more underrated producer. The production on his album was solid(minus Oh what a night)and he bought his A game on this album. I strongly recommend this one for Wyclef fans. October 3, 2006

5 Stars-Underappreciated Hip-Hop Classic!

At 22 tracks deep, you'd think there'd be a lot of filler tracks, but this ain't the case with this album, "Masquerade" shows the diverse styles that Wyclef brings, I also recommend you getting all the Fugees and Wyclef solo albums to support the most positive man in hip-hop history, God Bless you Wyclef, keep reppin' for the Haitians and I hope you do another Fugees album! July 25, 2005

Good, good

THis album? Pretty good. Half of the songs i really liked, the other half they were so-so. I still like Wyclef's Style though, and he's still a great rapper. Thumbs up. January 18, 2005

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